Cultural Globalization

We explain what cultural globalization is, its characteristics and how it influences culture. Also, its advantages and disadvantages, consequences and examples.

What is cultural globalization?

Cultural globalization is a process of exchange and integration of values, ideas and customs on a global scale product of globalization. This is a current phenomenon, in which cultures and traditions influence each other as a consequence of trade, migration and new communication technologies.

This type of globalization leads to the diffusion of values, ideas, lifestyles and cultural products, which generates greater cultural homogenization worldwide. As a result, some cultural practices are adopted in many parts of the world while others may be modified or even replaced.

On the other hand, with globalization and the increase in communication, thousands of diverse cultures that exist around the world are becoming known. However, also leads to loss of local cultural identities and the predominance of more influential cultures, such as the West.

Cultural globalization is part of the tendency to overcome national and regional borders that characterizes economic globalization, in which goods, services and capital flow freely from one region to another. Along with the economic, political, social and technological dimensions, cultural globalization contributes to the march towards a more integrated world.

See also: Globalization

Characteristics of cultural globalization

Cultural globalization is characterized by:

• Global interconnection. The cultures of different regions of the world are increasingly connected and crossed by the exchange of ideas, values ​​and practices across borders. This occurs mainly as a consequence of the flow of cultural consumer goods, the Internet and communication technologies.
• Cultural diffusion. The values, norms and customs of dominant cultures, especially Western ones, are spread and adopted globally, often at the expense of local cultures.
• Homogenization. Cultural uniformity, a product of the adoption of similar cultural practices in different countries, reduces diversity and intensifies the cultural hegemony of the great economic powers.
• Hybridization. Elements from different cultures are combined to create new unique cultural expressions.
• Impact Cultural globalization is perceived as a threat by traditionalist sectors and as an opportunity by the most avant-garde and commercial sectors.
• Migration. Human mobility through migration also contributes to cultural exchange, bringing practices and traditions from one place to another.
• Scope. Cultural globalization has a notable impact on the various manifestations of culture, such as music and other arts, sports, gastronomy, cultural consumption and language.

How does globalization influence culture?

Globalization influences culture in different ways. In general, there are two positions regarding this influence: defenders and detractors.

On the one hand, some consider it a threat to local cultural traditions because it promotes uniformity in cultural consumption patterns (fashion, art, entertainment, gastronomy, tourism). Furthermore, changes in cultural consumption can be caused by the international expansion of brands, products and styles from dominant countries.

Likewise, those who consider globalization as a threat argue that the cultural transformations that derive from it do not provide all cultures with the same opportunities, but are determined by the dominance of the world's economic and technological powers.

Thus, cultural exchange is rather a tool of cultural colonization, which popularizes and imposes the typical practices of Western (and especially Anglo-Saxon) culture on the rest of the world. An example of this is the worldwide diffusion of American Hollywood cinema.

On the other hand, those who consider that cultural globalization is a source of wealth and diversity maintain that it brings with it the possibility of coming into contact with different cultures, which allows the construction of new and hybrid cultural forms through the fusion. In this way, a process of mutual enrichment occurs. An example of this is fusion cuisine, which combines culinary traditions from different cultures, or the fusion of musical genres, such as the so-called world music (“world music”), which produces hybrid styles.

Advantages of cultural globalization

The main advantages of cultural globalization are the following:

• Contact It encourages contact between cultures and mutual knowledge, which favors tolerance and the establishment of new social relationships of a personal or work nature, whether physical or virtual.
• Diversity. It contributes to cultural diversity, by spreading cultural practices from some regions to others and allowing mutual influence or the emergence of hybrid cultural forms (for example, in art, gastronomy or customs).
• Distance. It facilitates access to cultural manifestations in remote regions and the international dissemination of their own cultural expressions, mainly thanks to communication technologies.
• Interaction Creates physical and digital interaction spaces that promote coexistence, competition or collaboration between professionals and the public from various countries, such as sporting events, concerts and musical recordings, among others.

Disadvantages of cultural globalization

Among the disadvantages of cultural globalization, the following can be highlighted:

• Homogenization. It tends towards a relative cultural homogenization, which attenuates local particularities and reduces diversity (for example, in traditions or artistic creations).
• Hegemony It implants in many regions of the world customs and values ​​of economically dominant countries, through industries of massive global success, such as cinema and television, or the new forms of language promoted by social networks.
• Media power. It promotes a certain uniformity of media content, since large multinational media companies disseminate the same cultural products around the world and local cultural actors may have difficulties competing or communicating other proposals.

See also: Advantages and disadvantages of globalization

Consequences of cultural globalization

Cultural globalization can have positive or negative consequences:

	Positive consequences	Negative consequences
Exchange between cultures	Greater cultural exchange between nations and the possibility of consuming goods from cultures from remote places.	Imposition or popularization of the cultures of economically, technologically and politically dominant countries over other countries.
Cultural consumption	Creative influences that foster new artistic styles, new consumption patterns and new hybrid aesthetic trends.	Homogenization of cultural consumption, given that international fashions are imposed and tastes and interests become uniform.
Cultural diversity	Promotion of a multicultural perspective, in which diversity and tolerance are valued, and cultures are enriched.	Reduction of cultural diversity due to the imposition of values ​​and customs of some countries on others and the abandonment of local traditions.
Access to information	Diffusion of ideas beyond borders and academic circuits due to almost unlimited access to information and the possibility of expressing oneself culturally independently.	Excessive prominence of the big brands that impose fashions and consumption patterns, and of the technology industries that provide the tools for digital dissemination and exchange.
Linguistic diversity	Increased interest in foreign languages ​​and promotion of global linguistic diversity.	Promotion of English and languages ​​of dominant countries over other national, regional or local languages.

See also: Causes and consequences of globalization

Examples of cultural globalization

Some examples of cultural globalization are the following:

• Fast food chains Large multinational corporations, such as McDonald's, Starbucks, and KFC, introduce American products and consumer styles to almost every country in the world.
• Pop music. Artists like BTS, Taylor Swift and Shakira are heard in multiple languages ​​and cultures, and influence local music.
• Hollywood. Hollywood films profoundly influence the film production of other countries and the adoption of habits and patterns of behavior.
• Sports Sports events such as the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic Games and the NBA promote sports such as football and basketball in countries where they were not as popular before.
• Fashion Fashion brands like Zara, H&M and Nike carry fashion styles and trends from one country to another.
• Fusion gastronomy The combination of elements from different culinary traditions gave rise to the creation of fusion gastronomy, such as Tex-Mex food or sushi with local ingredients in non-Asian countries.
• Social networks Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube rapidly spread cultural trends, viral challenges, and media content from around the world.

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References

• Mantecón, AR (1993). Cultural globalization and anthropology. Alterities, (5), 79-91.
• Watson, J.L. (2024). Cultural globalization. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
• Wortman, A. (2001). Cultural globalization, consumption and social exclusion. new society, 175(134), 8.